The Desert and the Sown: The Syrian Adventures of the Female Lawrence of Arabia (1907; 2001)

A seeming contradiction, Gertrude Bell was both a proper Victorian and an intrepid explorer of the Arabian wilderness. She was a close friend of T. E. Lawrence, and played an important role in creating the modern map of the Middle East after World War I. The Desert and the Sown is a chronicle, illustrated by over 160 photos, of Bell's 1905 journey from Jericho to Antioch, a land of warring tribes under Turkish control. By The Standards Of Any Age, The Life Of Gertrude Bell (1868-1926) Was Extraordinary. During Her Travels In The Middle East, She Rode With Bandits; Was Captured By Bedouins; And Sojourned In A Harem. Her Colleagues And Friends Included Winston Churchill, T.e. Lawrence, And Arabian Sheiks. During World War I She Worked For British Intelligence And Later Played A Crucial Role In Creating The Modern Middle East. Bell's Adventurous Career Belied Her Privileged Upbringing And Sharply Contrasted With An Era When The Parlor And The Nursery Marked The Expected, Conventional Boundaries Of An Englishwoman's Life. (still, It Would Take Bell A Dozen Years To Be Recognized By, And Admitted To, The Patriarchal Royal Geographical Society.) Passionate About Arabia, Then An Inhospitable Land Of Nomadic And Warring Tribes Under Turkish Control, She Wrote This Now Classic Account Of Her 1905 Trip Across The Syrian Desert From Jericho To Antioch. To Read It Is To Be Transported.--jacket. Gertrude Bell ; New Introduction By Rosemary O'brien ; With Frontispiece By John Sargent. Originally Published: New York : E.p. Dutton And Co., 1907. Includes Index. Includes Bibliographical References (pages Xvii-xviii) And Index. "By the standards of any age, the life of Gertrude Bell (1868-1926) was extraordinary. During her travels in the Middle East, she rode with bandits; was captured by Bedouins; and sojourned in a harem. Her colleagues and friends included Winston Churchill, T. E. Lawrence, and Arabian sheiks. During World War I she worked for British intelligence and later played a crucial role in creating the modern Middle East.". "Bell's adventurous career belied her privileged upbringing and sharply contrasted with an era when the parlor and the nursery marked the expected, conventional boundaries of an Englishwoman's life. (Still, it would take Bell a dozen years to be recognized by, and admitted to, the patriarchal Royal Geographical Society.)". "Passionate about Arabia, then an inhospitable land of nomadic and warring tribes under Turkish control, she wrote this now classic account of her 1905 trip across the Syrian Desert from Jericho to Antioch. To read it is to be transported."--BOOK JACKET. Passionate about Arabia, then an inhospitable land of nomadic and warring tribes under Turkish control, Bell wrote this account of her extraordinary 1905 trip across the Syrian Desert from Jericho to Antioch Desert explorer Bell's account of her 1905 trip across the Syrian Desert from Jericho to Antioch contains evocative descriptions and numerous photographs of the Middle East during its time under Ottoman rule